


Only You (Make the Darkness Bright)

by LittleHeartGrenade (fledglingheart)



Category: Far Cry (Video Games), Far Cry 5
Genre: M/M, Walk Away Ending
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-07-28
Packaged: 2019-04-21 06:20:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14278749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fledglingheart/pseuds/LittleHeartGrenade
Summary: After killing Jacob Seed and rescuing Deputy Pratt, Deputy Rook feels lost and alone. With little fight left in her, she goes to confront the Father where she is faced with the weight of her own sins. Unable to deal with the guilt of what she has done, she leaves with her friends, only to be brought back by a sign from her own version of God.This is based on the Walk Away ending of Far Cry 5 and will contain spoilers.All characters belong to their creators, and any lines lifted from the game also belong to their writers.





	1. Walk Away

Killing Jacob was the death that hit her hardest. The Deputy was tired and worn out, and she almost wished she’d walked away from Joseph Seed when he first gave her the choice. She wished she’d listened to Staci when he told her not to come. Jacob’s rifle felt heavier the closer she got to the doors of the church. When this was all over she was going to take Boomer and Peaches and run as far as she could as fast as she could. She was weak.

Joseph opened the doors, walking out to meet her, “And when the Lamb broke the fifth seal; I saw under the alter the souls of the Martyrs, slain because of the Word of God…” _I’m sorry,_ she wanted to say, _I would go back if I could._ But words were meaningless now, so silence as always was all she could offer. “You’ve made Martyrs of my family…and I am prepared to do the same to yours.”

The Father walked towards the Deputy, guiding her to look east. Whitehorse, Hudson and Pratt were forced to their knees by the people Deputy Rook called friends, all of them seemingly out of their minds on the Bliss. Her eyes automatically fell on Staci; she couldn’t lose him too, not when he was the only one could ever understand her again. She was weak. She needed him.

“But, God is watching us. And He will judge us on what we choose in this moment.” Joseph came closer, “I told you that we were living in a world on the brink… where every slight… every injustice… where every choice reveals our sins. And where have those sins led us? Where have those sins led you? Your friends have been taken and tortured, and it’s your fault. Countless people have been killed, and it is your fault. The world is on fire and it’s your fault.” _I know. I’m sorry. Forgive me Father, forgive me Jacob, John, Faith, Pratt… forgive me._ Her pleas were useless in her mind. “Was it worth it?” he asked, voice softer. _No. No Father, it could never be worth this._ “Was it? When are you gonna realise that every problem cannot be solved with a bullet?” _Now Father, I know now, and I am so sorry._ “When you first came here,” Joseph led her gaze back to the church, standing in the doorway. “I gave you the choice to walk away. You chose not to. In the face of God I am making you that offer one last time… You put down your guns. And you take your friends. You leave me my flock… and you go in peace.”

Deputy Rook felt the air escape her body in a swift motion, grateful that she was being offered any form of forgiveness for her sins. Hudson caught their attention, “Go in peace? You’re fucking insane.”

Pratt answered for her, “Is he? We never should have been here in the first place…”

“You know what to do, Rook,” The Sheriff had so much confidence in her, he couldn’t possibly know that she just wanted to stay with Pratt and succumb to the Father.

Instead, she turned back to the Father, who held his arms out towards the sky, “Remember… God is watching.” Rook was unable to speak, but the Father understood. He nodded his head and looked back to the sky, “Judge not, and you will not be judged.” His hands held her forearms, “Condemn not, and you will not be condemned.” He smiled, “Forgive… and you will be forgiven.” They bowed their heads, foreheads touching, and Rook could only speak in her mind, _Thank you Father,_ though a part of her felt him love her as much as he did the rest of the flock. Rook stepped away from the Father, but Joseph didn’t release her, “Take your friends my child and go.”

Rook turned to see the three officers standing, her friend’s from Hope County clearing the way. “Rook, let’s go,” the Sheriff ordered. She wanted to stay, but she had her orders from the Father.

“What?” Hudson argued. She tried to stop Rook, “What are you doing? Rook?” Rook kept walking, looking at Pratt in the corner of her eye. She could tell he missed it too: missed the assurance of the music; the orders; the praise when the task was done in time. Hudson and Sheriff Whitehorse continued to argue but she barely noticed.

“Get in the goddamn truck! Sometimes it’s best to just leave well enough alone,” Whitehorse ended the argument as Pratt got in the car. “Let’s go.” Rook climbed into the passenger side, heart aching at Pratt’s expression. As they pulled out of the compound she watched her friends standing in a line, surrounding her with her failure.

They were barely down the road when Hudson leaned over the console, “Sir, with all due respect… what the fuck? We can’t just leave those people.” _Why not?_

“We’re not gonna leave those people. We’re going to Missoula. We’re going to get the National Guard. And we’re gonna bring the hammer down on that goddamn place.”

“No.” Pratt protested, for Rook and himself both, “No way. I’m not gonna be a part of this. You heard what he said.”

_Sometimes it’s best to just leave well enough alone._ “You’re gonna do exactly as you’re told, Pratt,” the Sheriff argued, making Pratt bow his head. Rook wanted to do something, defend him, but she was weak. The Sheriff reached down, flicking on the radio.

_Only you… can make this world seem right._

Rook could see the Sheriff speak but all she could hear was the music. Her vision began to cloud, Pratt’s hand reaching forward to hold hers. Everything went black.

When she woke, Rook was laid in the grass with her head in Pratt’s lap, his fingers brushing her hair while he hummed their gift from Jacob. The car was crashed into a tree and the bodies of Sheriff Whitehorse and Deputy Hudson were a bloodied mess. “Staci…” She breathed.

Staci smiled down at her, “You are strong. We are strong… Let’s go home Rook.”

Rook felt her own lips draw into a smile, picking up Jacob’s rifle and walking back to the compound with Staci. They ignored the stares of the cultists, the wounds they’d sustained in the accident, the blood drenching their clothes, in favour of entering the church. When they saw Jacob standing beside the Father, both of them were filled with a bliss that not even the drug could bring. They fell to their knees before their tormentor and succumbed to their weakness.


	2. Possum Squad

During the war, during any war, one thing a soldier must always know is that they shouldn’t play dead. Possum squads would come out and shoot you in the head if you did, or else you’d be captured. Very rarely did anyone survive playing dead on a battlefield. But this wasn’t a battlefield and she wasn’t a trained soldier. She was good, but her training wasn’t complete and she wasn’t under his control. Neither was the battle, she had taken out the Judges and the soldiers he’d sent her way. She’d destroyed the speakers. Now she was climbing the mountain and he couldn’t get a good shot.

With all that in mind, Jacob made a calculated decision. He would not die as John and Faith had, he would survive. Making careful movements, Jacob let himself be shot a couple of times in semi-lethal but treatable places, and dropped his gun, stumbling towards some large rocks. “You know, my brother saw all this coming. I don’t know if he talks to God… that doesn’t matter. He was right.” He groaned, getting into a comfortable position. “Humanity is once again in crisis. It doesn’t matter what we build or achieve… we will always find a way to break it down. Babylon. Rome… Empires rise, empires fall… America.” He beckoned the Deputy closer, knowing she would come. Like a puppy to its Master, “We’re no different. We think we’re indestructible…” Jacob grabbed her shirt and still she didn’t fight him, “World War Two, War on ‘Terror’… we survived it… but it only brought us closer to the edge. And this is where we are. Right here on schedule, just waiting for someone to push us… and oh boy, have you pushed us… You did everything he said you would do. And you didn’t even know it.” Satisfied that she knew she was just a pawn, Jacob let her go. “You had no fucking clue.”

His speech over, Jacob gave weak, shaking breaths and let himself go limp against the rocks he was seated on, only making a small sound when the key was ripped from his neck. So he would lose his Bunker and the traitor would be released, he could rebuild later. He didn’t expect her to kiss his forehead or whisper, “I’m sorry Jacob.” He’d assumed she was mute; she’d never spoken before.

Ten minutes after the sound of footsteps faded, Jacob got up, cursing when he saw she had taken his rifle. There was no time to mourn the loss. The soldier made his way carefully to the water and hijacked a boat, making sure to keep his head down on the way to the compound. There was no telling how many cameras the Whitetail Militia were controlling.

Joseph was grateful to see he had survived and as eager as Jacob to let the resistance believe he was dead long enough for them to control the situation again. The younger brother had already made his broadcast mourning the loss of his elder brother, and all of his siblings; all they needed to do now was solidify a plan. Jacob kept watch over the island, commanding those in the compound to stay out of the way of the fight and treating his own wounds to the best of his ability while the Father took members to capture the friends Deputy Rook had made. They had learned enough about the Bliss from Faith before she was lost to them to know how much they would need for temporary mind control so it was an easy job to build the miniscule army. The trickier part was recapturing the Sheriff, Hudson and his Buttercup– Pratt. Jacob stayed out of sight when the Father brought them to the compound, knowing that if they knew he was alive the plan could fail drastically. By the time the Deputy arrived, they were ready. Jacob hid behind the door, listening for the choices the Deputy would make.

They waited until they couldn’t hear the truck anymore and set off the song, expecting all four officers to be killed the moment they turned on the radio. Which is why Jacob was in stunned silence when, during his discussion with Joseph about how to take back Hope County after the residents woke up, Pratt and Rook stumbled to their knees in front of him, smiling at him like he was the second coming until they laid unconscious at his feet. He knelt down to remove his rifle from Rook, surprised that it was the only weapon she’d kept.

“It seems, Brother Jacob, that these sheep not only didn’t wish to leave the flock, but that they are also wolves returning to their Master. Don’t you agree?” Joseph broke the silence, raising a hand to shoo the congregation members gathering to peek inside the church. “They were your traitor and your puppet, what would you do with them?”

The next words from Jacob’s mouth were well thought and carefully calculated, “I’ll take them to my hospital and keep them locked in a secure room until they are recovered. Only then will I decide if they have purpose.” The pair could have escaped with their lives, nobody was coming for them, but instead they returned – not only to Eden’s Gate but to Jacob specifically.

Joseph nodded and picked up Rook, “You bring the other one. I’ll make it known that your decision is the Will of the Father.” Jacob only nodded his thanks, picking up Pratt and carrying him out to a nearby helicopter. They secured both bodies in the aircraft before Jacob took flight, leaving Joseph to organise his flock. At the hospital Jacob had a secure room on the third floor made clean and appropriate, and made sure both patients were dealt with correctly. He had plans for his pets and he didn’t want them to die before he got a chance to act them out.

_Only you can make this world seem right, only you can make the darkness bright…_

Or, that was the justification he gave himself when he spent the next two days at their bedside, watching over them and cleaning his rifle. The room was kept locked at all times, and he held the only key to make sure nothing else would go wrong. He would also be using the time to heal himself, not willing to show weakness in front of the followers of the P.E.G. and certainly not willing to let them see how badly the wounds were making old injuries ache. Jacob had tried to send out parties to capture Rook’s pets, but the animals were clever and evasive, managing to avoid even his best hunters. Eventually even he had to admit he was impressed. On the third day, while he was polishing the side of his gun, he heard a sharp intake of breath from one of the cots. He reached over and turned off the song, wanting them to be fully alert when they woke. It wasn’t like they could do much harm handcuffed to their beds.


	3. Cheap Cartoons

_Only you can make this change in me. For it’s true, you are my destiny. When you hold my hand I understand-_

The music that had lulled Rook and Pratt into consciousness stopped suddenly, the silence like a tidal wave that shocked them both sober. Rook was the first to move, trying to get up but being trapped by the chain of her cuffs. She looked around the room, eyes settling on Jacob staring straight back at her, before wandering again to find Staci.

Pratt reached out with his free hand and held her trapped one. “You are strong,” he promised with a whisper, giving her the strength he knew she would need.

“You are both weak,” Jacob stood, standing his rifle against the wall, seemingly unaware of how his words sunk the hearts of both former Deputies. “But you have impressed me. You may able to prove to me that the weak can become strong. One day.” Though the words were designed to be more foreboding than comforting, they filled Pratt and Rook with unexplainable joy as Jacob stepped forward to inspect their remaining wounds. Satisfied with whatever he had seen, the soldier picked his rifle back up and left, locking the door behind him.

“He’s wrong,” Pratt insisted immediately. “You are strong. Not weak. You have never been weak.”

Rook sat up in the bed, mirroring Pratt’s movements, “Neither are you. Remember? They made you strong. They are the weak ones. Jacob will see it in time. We will make him see Staci.”

“There’s my girl,” Staci smiled warmly at her, “Only you could have gotten us this far. Only you.” His eyes settled on the door, “We should make him an offer, or come up with a plan.”

“I miss the song,” Rook looked over to the music box, mercilessly within sight but just out of reach. “I want him to be proud of us. I took so much from him when I had no right. No cause. I should have laid down my guns a long time ago… I should have…” She shook her head, “I made the Militia strong, and the Cougars, and the Fighters at Fall’s End.” Staci got her attention, staring like she was missing the point of her own words… until she got it. “Together we could undo it. We can take back this place for Jacob. Starting with Dutch, all alone on his island – if we kill him then we break the connection between the groups.”

Staci’s face broke into a wide smile, “Then they will be weak; and the weak…” They shook hands with the ones that weren’t restrained. “I will follow your lead, Rook.”

“If we do this, we do it together and prove how useful we both are. I still have access to a lot of weapons, and Jacob’s plane. Boomer, Peaches and Cheeseburger will be waiting for me as well, those animals are loyal to me.”

“Boomer, Peaches and Cheeseburger sounds like a bad cartoon, one of those really cheap ones that we got on that crappy TV at the station,” Staci laughed for the first time since they had arrived, the sound like music to Rook’s ears. She couldn’t help but to laugh with him.

“I suppose. Boomer is a dog, Peaches is a cougar and Cheeseburger is a grizzly… I guess that does sound like a cheap cartoon.” They kept laughing until their chests ached and their cheeks were wet, needing the moment of purity between them. Reality always had to kick in eventually, “So,” Rook caught her breath, “We take Hope County for the Peggies?”

“We take Hope Country for Jacob and the Father, I don’t care for anyone else here but him 'nd you,” Staci was bold enough to say.

“For Jacob and the Father, and our own worth,” Rook agreed.

On his return, Jacob found them both talking in hushed whispered, as animated as they could be chained to a bed and starving. “If you want the food on these plates then you’d better behave,” he warned, wary of the trouble the pair could cause him. Part of him was tempted to play the music to make them docile; the more intelligent side of him knew it wasn’t time yet.

“We’re planning how to thank you for your mercy,” Staci supplied, letting Rook be the one to decide how far they should elaborate.

“We want to prove to you that we are strong, that we belong here with you. I want to apologise for what I’ve done to you and we both want to be welcome in the only place that feels like home.”

Jacob raised his eyebrow at their words, “Oh? And how do you intend to do that?” He found satisfaction in the way the pair couldn’t have breathed in the food any faster.

“We’re going to give this place back to you,” It was unclear which of the two spoke, but they both held conviction in their eyes. Once the food was gone, Staci spoke tentatively, “Jacob?”

“Yes, Peaches?” Jacob smirked, now seated again, sprawled loosely in his chair like they were his casual entertainment. _He never gave me a name like that,_ Rook couldn’t help internally pouting. She wanted to laugh at herself for the reaction. Staci had been with Jacob for much longer than she had; while he understood her completely, she did not have the bond he did with Jacob just yet.

“Can we hear the song again?” Staci kept his voice firm, knowing Jacob would respect them more if he didn’t let his insecurities show.

“I have to say,” Jacob picked up the box, complying to their needs, “That I am impressed by you both. You’re stronger than I expected. Overcoming your sins, returning to me after killing those irritating friends of yours, coming up with a way to prove your loyalty to me… you are both weak, but you have your purpose.”

_We will become strong._

_In time you will see that we are strong._

Musical notes filled the air. The Rook and Staci may have perceived their strength differently, but both knew their goal and that was enough. As the music washed over them, both laid back to be lulled into a deep, healing sleep.

_You’re my dream come true, my one and only you._


	4. Bloodied Devotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> If anyone is interested, I may make an alternate version of this story with a different relationship.

Like a guardian angel, Jacob watched over his new pets for the next few days, keeping them mostly sedated until their wounds had healed. Their minds would need reconditioning, but they had full bodies and strength for their tests. It was a cool relief to hear the way both former deputies had devoted themselves to him that made him swell with secret pride. He wasn’t deaf to the whispers around his land about what he might be doing in the forbidden room, but the compound wasn’t blind to those prying too deep finding themselves starving in cages. No soldier questioned their General if they knew what was good for them – and those who thought differently weren’t worth keeping under his command.

When the time to rest finally came to an end, Jacob found himself surprised yet again. Staci and Rook were tied down in chairs for fresh indoctrination when Staci had stolen the words from their master’s mouth, “The world is weak. Soft. We have forgotten what it is to be strong.” Amused eyes watched Jacob’s steps halt before them. “You know our heroes used to be gods. And now our heroes are godless. Weak, feeble, diseased.” Staci began to mimic Jacob’s voice, “We let the weak dictate to the powerful and then we are shocked to find ourselves adrift.” The soldier wasn’t sure if he should be offended or proud of Staci’s apparent memorisation of his scripture, “But history knows the value of sacrifice. Of culling the herd so that it stays strong. Over and over, the lives of the many have outweighed the lives of the few. This is how we survived. And we’ve forgotten… and now the bill has come due. Now, the Collapse is upon us, and this time the lives of the few outweigh the lives of the many.” Rook closed her eyes, smiling ear to ear at the way Staci took control of the situation to display his strength. “And when a nation that’s never known hunger or desperation descends into madness, we’ll be ready. We will cull the herd. We will do what needs to be done.” Staci finished, the fire in his spirit blatantly displayed. Jacob couldn’t deny it was a beautiful sight.

“Alright, so you don’t think you need your training? Let’s see how well you follow orders without it,” he folded his arms, not about to let him get away with his developing attitude. Maybe he’d been too soft on them. Despite their arguments that he was merely proving he understood his place, Jacob put Staci through his paces. While Rook was reconditioned in the hotel: Staci went days without food or water, battling tough death matches against what had once been Jacob’s best men – now reduced to bloody messes soiling the earth; preparing the resulting corpses to be fed to the Judges. But he never laid a hand on the man himself; instead choosing to watch from afar as time and time again he proved that he was stronger than Jacob had ever imagined. There was, however, more to proving oneself than a test of survival and strength. Loyalty was something he wasn’t sure he could trust from Staci just yet, leading him to set up the final test. They had made him a promise. If they wanted to live, they would make good on it or burn. The order went out for a full night’s sleep accompanied by triple the standard rations.

Staci’s relief to see Rook when he was pushed into the room they’d woken up in together weeks prior was displayed plainly on his face. The door locked behind him so he sat with her at the desk to eat, “I’ve missed you Rook.”

Jacob watched through the cameras carefully, taking in every word they spoke. “I missed you too. You look like crap. Here, apparently we get showers later and we can eat all of this between us.”

“This is just preparation. Jacob is going to test us,” Staci bit into the food regardless, “What have your tests been so far?”

“Nothing new really, I spent a while in the chair, have a very vague memory of killing a few people but most of it is a blur of Only You. I know I’m starving. How was yours?”

“Blood, filth, starvation… I got my hands in a lot of people’s guts. I think I was being punished for being a smart ass but I don’t feel as weak as I used to. I don’t feel scared that every movement has to be perfect.”

“You’re confident then?” Jacob took his headphones off. It was an interesting revelation. If his pet deputies passed their final test, he considered, Staci might have a promotion to a higher role in the Veteran Centre. Something closer to Jacob’s role, Lord knew he could use some help managing some of the idiots that followed the Project.

Though he kept hidden behind his cameras, Jacob watched the deputies closely. Dinner was followed by full access to a bathroom and the ability to sleep well into the morning, the increasing paranoia that built up throughout which was amusing to the solitary viewer. Eventually Staci was told that Jacob needed to see him alone – both would be seen individually; their final test had to be done in stages to ensure loyalty among the ranks.

Staci stumbled took calculated, almost hesitant steps into the office, seemingly uncomfortable to be wearing his old Deputy uniform once again. Jacob smiled at Pratt, “Don’t look so nervous.” He approached the man slowly, each step the calculated move of a predator. The last time they had been face to face, Pratt had another man’s blood staining half his body and a concoction of piss soaked mud over his cheek. With trimmed hair, a shave and a long shower he looked almost as good as new. Almost being the key word, Jacob traced his thumb over a cut on Staci’s cheek. “That’s infected… why didn’t you inform us?”

“My test was to survive. I could hardly cry about a little scratch,” Staci seemed side-lined by his concern, but at least he was gathering his confidence.

“That’s not a little scratch,” he would have to make sure Staci’s pack had something in it to aid the healing. Disease was something no man could fight without the proper tools. He drew his hand back, balling it into a fist and punched Staci in the face. As Staci stumbled, taken off guard, he grabbed his collar, preventing him from falling only to throw him over the desk. Striding around the furniture, the soldier’s hand reached for a pistol. He straddled Staci to stop him fighting as he beat him until he bled with the butt of the gun – though admittedly it didn’t take long with the strength of his blows bursting the infected scar tissue. When he was sure the younger beneath him couldn’t take anymore abuse he broke two of his ribs with a well-placed kick, using the time it took Staci to catch his breath to drive his hunting knife into his thigh. “I guess this isn’t either Pratt,” Jacob twisted the knife, revelling in Staci’s scream until he pulled it out, careful not to cut anything that would cause him to bleed out on his floor. “Get up.”

Staci glared at Jacob defiantly for a moment before dragging himself towards the balcony. Jacob watched curiously as Staci used the railings to his advantage, managing to get mostly upright and catch his breath, “Another test, _Jacob?_ ” There was something inflicted in his name that made the Wolf regret how sharp his bite had been.

“You have strength, Rook has loyalty. I want to see both qualities in both of you. Now get out of my sight,” he didn’t like the way he was becoming attached to Staci… or the way something curled in his stomach as the child – and he was just a child in comparison – struggled to reach the door alone. He would have difficulty recovering in the woods, maybe even be eaten alive before he’d ever have a chance to prove himself. Then he was reminded of the way Staci had betrayed him the last time Jacob had shown him mercy, “I said out! Or are you too pathetic to handle a little pain?” As soon as Pratt reached the door he was picked up, carried away by a much larger Chosen. “Make sure he can heal himself,” Jacob ordered the remaining Hunter, “And keep an eye on him from a distance. I want him to fight for me. Not-” He stopped himself… did he really not want Staci willing to die for him? “Send in Rook!” The distraction would be welcome.

After finding himself conflicted with Peaches, beating Rook down was almost therapeutic. He hadn’t been nearly as gentle with her, willingly carving into her and breaking the bones she wouldn’t need to hunt and care for herself and her soon-to-be partner. A small part of Jacob worried that he was going to push the two too close together and force a different kind of bond to the one they already had. It confused him even more so he took it out on Rook even harder. By the time he was finished she was spitting blood but still able to stand.

Instead of calling in someone to remove her, Jacob dragged Rook to the entrance gates and shoved her to the ground in the sand beside Staci, who was attempting a piss poor bandage job while he waited where he was told. At the snap of Jacob’s fingers a backpack of supplies was thrown at each of them, “Get out of here. I don’t want you. You’re worthless to me.” He turned his back on them, retreating into the courtyard. As the gates locked behind him another part of Jacob’s resolve cracked, fracturing with every step. It was for the best. If they were strong they would make good on their promise; if they were weak, they would die.


	5. Traitor

It felt like a punishment, laying in the cold mud and watching his companion tend to her wounds. No thought for the care he needed, though Staci could see that Rook had taken a bigger beating than he had. Staci thought he’d been doing well, passing every test, remembering every rule and being a good, perfect- but then the best soldier in the world couldn’t bring back John Seed. Staci knew that his brothers were everything to Jacob, and seeing them every day must have been hell for him. The one who murdered his youngest sibling and the traitor who helped her escape his grasp. Guilt rooted deep in his gut, festering between self-doubt and pain.

“This is a test right? We said we’d get the county back for him,” Rook glared at the gash on her arm like that would make it magically close. Anger was burning hot in her veins, wrath leading her back to sin. “I’ll get him the county alright; get all the resistance out of it. Won’t be my fault if they bring back the National Guard to put Joseph and Jacob in the ground.” Staci propped himself up, frowning at Rook. She’d changed since their release, like waking from a dream. A stone sat heavy on the roots, denial of something he feared but had always known.

“Alright, we’ll get your friends out. Less blood the better,” there would be bad blood, betrayal, but it had to end. “We’re in the mountains, might as well start here. You said you could get your animals back?”

“I leave them with my friends when they’re not with me: Boomer with Nick; Peaches with Tracey and Cheeseburger with the Fowler boys.” Something had changed in Rook, or switched maybe. She felt the clouds lifting from her mind, away from the Father’s sermons she could think clearer and some invisible force drove her towards a new mission. Maybe it was the Sheriff’s blood on her hands, still fresh in her mind, or maybe it was seeing how broken her colleague was, laid in the dirt and trying so, so hard to please an abusive master. “You know you’re better than this, don’t you Staci? You’re better than being… this.”

“What is this exactly?” He let his friend move him to the stream to help clean his wounds again.

“An attack dog at best and a toy at worst,” Rook felt like she owed it to Staci to build him back up to the cocky, confident, beautiful asshole she called a friend only a few months ago. “You’re Staci Pratt. You’re arrogant, intelligent, sexy; you’re not this.”

“I was arrogant, I was an asshole, but being here changed that for the better Rook. I think before I speak now, I don’t flirt with anything that has legs, I don’t lead people on for fun. I was a bastard back then, and I certainly didn’t follow my faith the way I should have. I believe in God, I should have been down at my church every week, donating to people in need and showing my respect to whatever cosmic entity guided Mother Nature in our creation.”

“Was it worth the pain? Was it worth losing your freedom, friends, family… was it worth losing your life just to restore your faith?” Rook held his gaze, “Hudson, Whitehorse, even I could have helped you become a better person. You didn’t need to be tortured and abused for that. You were a bit of a dick but you were the best cop on the force. You were fair, you took justice objectively, and you took care of your colleagues and your prisoners. You helped out at the animal shelter even after long ass shifts. You got a pilot license because Whitehorse couldn’t pass the damn test! You weren’t a bad guy Staci.”

The conversation was making Staci uncomfortable. He didn’t like the way Rook seemed to be trying to lead him away from the path, like his life before and his life now were two different worlds and they needed to escape back through some portal before it was too late. But she had half a county of blood on her hands. She had John Seed’s blood on her hands, and Faith’s. “You say that like I’m not still me, Rook. I’m still the same Staci Pratt – I’m just a better man now than I was when the chopper crashed. There is no Staci then and Staci now, it’s all just me.”

Something flashed in Rook’s eyes, but there wasn’t time to address suspicions. They needed to get their mission finished before the cold set in, and that meant moving faster than they were. Wounds re-wrapped, Staci got his bearings of their surroundings, marking it on their map. Considering the chill they could both feel in the air, they decided to make their way to the Henbane first. It was a trek by foot but they managed to steal a car, giving Rook a chance to focus and Staci the opportunity to plan. He understood that Rook wanted to save her friends but that just wasn’t an option anymore. By the time they pulled up to the prison, Peaches had a plan.

“You go in alone. Talk to them and find out how things have been? After what I’ve done I don’t really feel comfortable going in there. I’m gonna explore a little and see what I can see.”

Rook watched him folding the map and sighed, “Yeah, alright. I’ll be an hour or two, but if you change your mind just come on up. The gate stays sealed but the doors are all unlocked so just walk right in.” They held eye contact for a few moments, and Rook had the overwhelming urge to pull him in. Instead she got out of the car, trekking up the driveway to the prison in clear view of the watch guards.

As soon as he couldn’t see her anymore, Staci drove the route to the 8-bit pizza bar, remembering a discussion at the campfire the night before about how Rook’s companions always hung out there when they were waiting for her to call them in, drowning their sorrows or else talking a moment to breathe. Pulling up, he could see why they chose the location. The boarded up windows and doors made the place look long abandoned – no project members or angels would be attracted to it.

Carefully, Staci stumbled around the back of the building, pushing open the door gently. There was a box to his left full of explosives, hidden between empty pizza boxes. He took a mental note of everyone he could see: Nick Rye, Jess Black, Grace Armstrong, Sharky Boshaw, Adelaide Drubman and her son Hurk Jr. These were all people Staci once knew, some enough to call his friends. Hell he’d grown up playing around with Nick and Jess, the three of them close friends thanks to their parents. Memories of childhood games and family barbeques brought a tear to his eye, regret filling him at what he had to do for the man he- He shut the train of thought down forcefully, eyes moving to Grace, best shooter in the county, after Jacob, and Hurk Jr – he’d heard war stories about that big hunk of monkey loving fun. And Sharky, in another life Staci would be arresting him to fill the warrant. The box called out to him as he moved almost unnoticed towards the kitchen.

Using his limp to his advantage, Staci approached Nick without anyone calling him out on why he was there. “Whitehorse is calling in the National Guard. If it makes you feel better,” he spoke softly to his old friend, tracking everyone. “I…I just wanted you to know that,” he stood up using the supporting beam and almost made it out before Nick called out to him.

“What happened to you Staci? You look like you just went ten rounds with Seed,” Nick stood up, following him out. They stopped at the edge of the road, overlooking the scenery outside.

“You remember when your Dad used to take us flying all over Montana? This place is so beautiful from up there.” His gun felt heavy on his hip. He fingered the trigger, one quick pull and he’d never be able to go back.

“Yeah, felt like we were kings up there. My baby girl is gonna feel that one day, when she’s older. Just a babe in Kim’s arms at the moment – you should come meet her though. Want you to be her Uncle Staci.” His heart clenched at Nick’s words. If only he knew. But she’d probably grow up to be the next Faith, if she survived, not knowing her real parents from a hole in the wall. It would be the best way for Joseph. No more junkies or doubters remembering a life before. Just a little girl who knows nothing but innocence and Bliss.

“I’ll make sure she’s safe,” he promised.

“I know you will. You’re a good man,” Nick sat down on the edge of the rocks, watching the clouds above them. “I’m sorry Jacob hurt you so bad. He’ll get what he deserves in Hell.” Staci drew his gun, humming in agreement to mask the click of the safety. A trigger and clip, and he’d wipe out a six man fleet in one. Jacob would be proud. He hoped.

It was surprising how easy it was considering how much Nick Rye had meant to him. The bang of the bullet leaving the chamber probably drew attention from inside the pizza bar, but no trouble came. People were too used to hearing gunfire now; probably thought they were scaring off a cougar. As Nick’s body slumped lifelessly over the drop below Staci picked up his radio, tuning in to Jacob’s frequency. He waited to hear any intruders, but nothing came from the pizza house. They probably deserved better, a gun fight, an elaborate death, recruitment to the project even, but Staci was just one man. He couldn’t do all that by himself.

“Jacob. Jacob are you there… it’s Peaches. I- you don’t have much time to act on this, but I have something for you. Are you listening?” It was a cowardly move, but he was weak. Staci started trekking the hills behind the diner.

“Go on Peaches, I’m listening.” Jacob’s voice came back, unreadable through the static but steady. “What do you have?”

“The pizza place, 8-Bit Pizza Bar, do you know it? It’s in the Henbane, north-west of the jail.” He glanced over his shoulder, making sure he wasn’t being followed.

“Yeah, I know it. What about it? The place is on lockdown. Been empty since the owners left town, or tried to leave. We dealt with that. You’re wasting my time.”

“No, it’s not empty. All Rook’s friends are there. Plenty of explosives inside too. I thought a couple of bombs from your plane would wipe them right out.” Figuring he was safely out of a blast zone, Staci perched in the protruding roots of a tree.

“Is that so?” A brief pause. “Alright, name who was there. And watch the place, I’ll send out a plane and some men after to check for bodies.”

“I already executed Nick Rye,” Staci swallowed, closing his eyes. “But there’s Hurk Jr and Adelaide Drubman. Jess Black – I know you wanted her to join you but-”

“No, you’re right. No loose ends. They all had their chance. Keep going Peaches. I need names.”

“Sharky Boshaw and Grace Armstrong. All the people she used to help take you down.” That was it. He’d signed their death warrants. No going back, no being a hero cop. Sure if he ran he might get them out of there but it would be a suicide mission and Staci had been through too damn much to die now. “Is…is the information good?”

“Yeah, that’s real good Peaches. You go on back to Rook now, finish clearing out the resistance. Maybe you’re not so useless after all. I might speak to you later, Traitor.”

As the radio cut, Staci thought on the word, tasted it like a soured fruit. He was a traitor, there was no changing that, but he could change who he was a traitor to. Lost in his thoughts, Staci was unfazed by the engines passing overhead; barely shaken as a cluster of explosions echoed through the trees. An orphaned fawn raced past him, too small to survive alone. “Watch out for the wolves,” he whispered after it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally going to be a Jacob/Rook fic. Would anybody be interested in a second version rewritten for that pairing? I'm just curious.


End file.
